The Outstanding Wines of New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay

The beautiful scenery, friendly Kiwi’s, amenable climate, and superb wines have made New Zealand my favorite wine destination. Before I first visited New Zealand, I had only been exposed to the piercingly-intense Sauvignon Blancs and a few peppery Pinot Noirs from the Marlboro region. Now that I am in New Zealand, I have come to realize that this country also produces outstanding Syrahs and Chardonnays.

My first inkling of the diversity of Kiwi wines came after the flight to Auckland. As I was disembarking, I met an Icelandic fishing guide from Colorado named Arna Einarsdottir who works at the Aspen Wine Festival. Arna suggested the Vidal Chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay; with this in mind, I bought a bottle of the 2016 Vidal Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay at the local supermarket for about $15. It was a revelation when I opened that Chardonnay; it was complex, fruity, and buttery for an insanely low price! This wine would have been priced north of $50 if it came from Napa. But this was just the beginning; almost every Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay I tried, from the large producers right down to the small boutique wineries, was exceptionally good.

I am a big Chardonnay fan and am somewhat dismayed at the trend I am seeing in many of the domestic the Chardonnays. The elite wine writers from the USA would have us believe that buttery or oaky Chardonnays are bad and too sinfully delicious; unfortunately many domestic wine producers fell for this silliness. For years American producers have been pumping out austere, sterile, stainless-steel Chardonnays and trying to tell us how good they are, but they are nothing special. They are not terrible and serve an industrial-grade purpose, but they have no soul. The Hawke’s Bay producers have no such misconceptions; their Chardonnays are buttery, fruity, exuberant and, in some cases, oaky; these are all characteristics that I love in a Chardonnay.

I am currently close to the Hawk’s Bay region in New Zealand so that is where I have concentrated my wine exploration. Thanks to the rain shadow of some central mountains, Hawke’s Bay has a Mediterranean climate. Such a climate, combined with their quick-draining, low fertility soils (especially their alluvial “Gimblett Gravels”) are ideal for producing deeply flavored wines.

These are interesting times for the wineries in Hawke’s Bay. Not only are they producing exceptional Chardonnays, but all the producers I visited were very excited about the Syrahs that are coming out of Hawke’s Bay, especially from the Gimblett Gravels. Hawke’s Bay Syrahs are a Big Deal in New Zealand since few other regions on the islands can produce an acceptable Syrah or other reds such as Merlot and Cabernet. Marlboro has a sharper day/night temperature fluctuation so they produce better Pinot Noirs, but Hawke’s Bay is better suited to Syrah and the other reds.

The Syrahs from Hawke’s Bay are not to be confused with Shiraz from Australia. Although Shiraz is the same grape, the resulting Australian wines are heavy, jammy, and sometimes ponderous. The Hawke’s Bay Syrah’s are light, nimble, and peppery. They pair well with New Zealand’s favorite grilled meats; grass fed beef, venison and lamb. This understated style of red wine is very popular these days so I expect that the Hawke’s Bay Syrah’s will find a wide audience.

Below are the some of the wineries I visited:

The Mission Estate winery

Mission Estate: Mission Estate was the first winery I visited in New Zealand, and I will never forget it. This Spanish Colonial style estate, set in their beautifully restored seminary, is stylish, historic, fascinating, and perfectly lovely. The Mission Estate winery was established in 1851 by French missionaries and is still run by the Catholic Church. A Kiwi I met there told me that in the old days, you could share a glass with a monk or two. For tasteful, restrained elegance, this was the loveliest winery I visited. This winery produces smooth, polished, world-class wines. I was especially impressed with their estate Chardonnays and their Pinot Noirs (from their Marlboro vineyards). I bought a bottle of their outstanding 2016 Jewelstone Chardonnay (about $35). If you visit New Zealand, this is a winery that you must visit.

Moana Park: The next stop was a winery that was very different than Mission Estate. This was Moana Park, a small, rustic, boutique winery specializing in natural, intervention-free, hypo-allergenic, low-sulfur wines. Their wines are also vegan and no milk products are used to clarify their wine. I suspect that the Moana Park and Stonecroft (see below) wines are hangover free or hangover-reduced, but, unfortunately, my wife is not too keen on having me test this theory.

Moana Park is the opposite of the large industrial-grade wineries in the US that pump out millions of gallons of bland plonk that tastes pretty much the same. Moana Park’s wines have unique flavors. Their expression of each varietal was unlike anything I had ever tried. The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc was delicious, complex, and smooth with no catty overtone. Their 2017 Pinot Gris was much more interesting than the dry, sterile Italian Pinot Grigios that are so popular in the States. I could not resist the custard-y flavor of the 2017 Chardonnay ($25) and had to buy a bottle. You will not find these wines in your local wine store; they do almost all their business as mail order, and they do ship to the United States.

Stonecroft: In keeping with the boutique theme, we next visited a small, charming, organic winery called Stonecroft. This is a pioneering, innovative winery. They were the first to plant vines in the (now famous) Gimblett Gravels, and they were the first to produce a commercial Syrah and Zinfandel in New Zealand. One of the co-owners, Andria Monin, poured us her fascinating wines. As with Moana Park, their expression of each varietal was unique in my experience. Here are some of the wines we tried:

2015 Serine Syrah: I found this wine was gentle and peppery.

2017 Zinfandel: This wine was unique in my experience. It was so light and airy that it was almost a Rosé.

2016 Chardonnay: As was the case with the other Hawke’s Bay Chardonnays, this was excellent, but the flavor was different than any other Chardonnay I have ever had.

2017 Gimblett Gravels Gewürztraminer: We bought a bottle of this wine because of its intriguing scent and anise flavor; its spicy scent was unlike any other Gewürztraminer I had ever tried.

As with Moana Park, Stonecroft is available in the US via mail order.

The Trinity Hill tasting room with Dominic Bolton in the background

Trinity Hill: Our last stop of the day was a lovely, stylish winery called Trinity Hill. This is a professional operation producing beautiful, polished wines. The wine steward who poured our wines, Dominic Bolton, was one of the best I met in New Zealand, and his experience in Napa was relevant for us Yanks. Here are the wines we tried:

2016 Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc. This was a classic Sauvignon with good fruit and acidity but with a tame & gentle grassiness.

2016 Marsanne Viognier: This was a wonderful, deeply flavored wine, so much so that we bought a bottle, and I am greatly enjoying it now as I write this column.

Ports: Trinity Hill also produces a Tawny Port and a Ruby Port. Since the Tawny retails for about $220 it was not opened for tasting, but the Ruby (about $40) was. I was shocked when I tried it; it was one of the best Ruby Ports I have ever had, and I taste a lot of Portuguese Ports. I had to wonder if the stodgy Portuguese Port houses have been resting on their laurels for too long; I think they need to start upping their game or else some of the new, exciting Ports such Trinity’s will leave them behind.

Syrahs: The wines that really set Trinity apart were their Syrahs; these were some of the best, if not the best, Syrahs I have had from New Zealand. Their flagship red wine is the Homage Syrah. Trinity’s founding Winemaker, John Hancock, worked in the Northern Rhone valley and returned to New Zealand with three cuttings of the Jaboulet (from the Tain ‘Hermitage) Syrah and one of the Viognier. These cuttings along with plants from the nearby Stonecroft vineyard are used for Trinity Hill’s outstanding Homage Syrah.

A week later we traveled to Hawke’s Bay again and visited the following wineries:

A Vidal barrel room in their Hawke's Bay Cellar Door (tasting room)

Vidal Estate: If you love Chardonnay as much as I do, Vidal is a must winery. As I noted at the start of this article, the 2016 Vidal Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay must be one of the best Chardonnays for its price in the world. We tried this Chardonnay again at the Vidal “Cellar Door” (tasting room), and it only confirmed my first impression. Unlike the other wineries we visited, Chardonnay is the flagship varietal for Vidal, but we did not get a chance to taste their Legacy Chardonnay line (about $40 each) which was named the best wine from New Zealand in 2014; I am kicking myself for not buying a bottle when I was there. Based on my experience with the Reserve Chardonnay and the reputation of the Legacy, I suspect that this is a world-class wine. Vidal has a nice lineup of other varietals that I did get a chance to sample. Their dry Riesling was nice and balanced. The Vidal Sauvignon Blanc was a refreshing mix of flavors with a tiny bit of the classic Marlboro grassiness, but not overpowering like Cloudy Bay. The 2015 Vidal Gimblett Gravels Reserve Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon had a beautiful nose and flavor so we bought a bottle of this for about $20. I have not yet found a source in the USA for Vidal Chardonnays but Lee’s Market is looking into it.

The dining area under a grape vine canopy at Black Barn Vineyards

Black Barn: The next stop was the lovely Black Barn Vineyard. This was the most hip and stylish vineyard we visited. It is in a beautiful location with a sunken dining area underneath a cool canopy of grape vines. The entrance to the Cellar Door runs under two rows of small fig trees. Black Barn also has a Growers Market, a Bistro, the River Room, and an outdoor concert shell. We tried a some of their wines in the Cellar Door. Here are a few that stood out:

2017 Pinot Gris: I found this wine to be refreshing and zesty; it was the best Pinot Gris I have tried from New Zealand.

2014 Syrah: I found this to be a classic Hawke’s Bay Syrah, light, peppery and perfect for a cookout on a warm day.

The stylish tasting room at Craggy Range

Craggy Range: By the luck of the draw, our last stop was the most incredible winery I have ever visited. Craggy Range Vineyards sits below the lofty, saw-tooth Te Mata Peak which gave this beautiful winery a surreal air. Everything about Craggy Range such as its location, the architecture, the tasting room, and even right down to the rose cuttings in lobby were first class. Seemingly no expense was spared or detail was omitted when this 75 million dollar winery was built. In keeping with the high standards set by this winery, the wine steward who poured our wines, Penelope Radburnd, was one of the best I have ever met.

Here are the wines we tried from this amazing winery:

2016 Te Muna Road Riesling: I knew I was in a very special winery when I tried our first wine, the 2016 Te Muna Road Riesling. It had that elusive scent of a first-class German Riesling, with a nice fruity flavor featuring crisp acidity, and a tart finish. This was the best Riesling I tried in New Zealand.

2017 Te Muna Road Sauvignon Blanc: This wine was dry and lemony with a touch of melon without the overpowering grassy notes of a typical Marlboro Sauv Blanc. This wine evolved in my mouth and had a lovely, smooth finish. Amazingly enough, I found this beautiful wine at Lee’s Market in Westport!

2016 Kidnappers Chardonnay: This wine featured well-integrated, but not over-the-top butter and oak overtones with nice floral notes. I bought a bottle of this to add to my outstanding Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay collection.

2015 ‘Sophia’ Gimblett Gravels Merlot / Cabernet: This was the best New Zealand red I have ever had. This is a serious, world class wine; I found it complex, interesting, and a bit wild. It was unlike any other wine I have ever had.

Other Hawke’s Bay Wines:

Below is a list of some of the other Hawke’s Bay wines from wineries that I did not get a chance to visit. These all came from super markets in New Zealand. The wine sections of these supermarkets are fascinating and exciting places!

2016 Esk Valley Syrah. This was a classic Hawke’s Bay Syrah. It was light and peppery. It got better and better each day it was open.

2016 Sacred Hill Marlboro Pinot Noir. This is a lovely Pinot Noir with a somewhat unusual taste at very reasonable price (about $19). This is good value and a solid Pinot.

2016 Selaks Buttery Chardonnay. This wine advertises its buttery-ness all over the label, but I found it to be understated with only a touch of butter on day two after opening.

Visiting Hawke’s Bay

Hawk’s Bay is a fascinating place to visit and quite different than any other location we went to in New Zealand. The warm central plain is dominated by expansive orchard groves and vineyards; Hawke’s Bay must be this country’s source for fruits, and we have seen blueberries and other fruits from Hawke’s Bay in the local super markets and even apples from the Hawke’s Bay back in Massachusetts (in the spring).

The city of Napier in Hawke’s Bay has an interesting history. In 1931 the worst earthquake in the New Zealand history devastated the city. It was rebuild in the Art Deco style of the day, resulting in the charming seaside town that we enjoyed on our winery tours. The earthquake was so powerful that it lifted hundreds of square kilometers of land out of the sea resulting in large coastal plain (where the airport is now situated). This coastal plain was hot and dry, but the sea breeze in Napier was delightful.

One of the most striking places I have ever been was the trail up Te Mata Peak overlooking the Craggy Range winery in nearby Havelock North. I have never seen grassy hills so precipitates or magical; it reminded me of Mount Knocknasheega in the movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People. From this cool, breathtaking perch we could see the basin of Hawke’s Bay, the Craggy Range winery, and the shore of the South Pacific ocean. It was the perfect way to end another wonderful day in Hawke’s Bay.

The author on the trail up Te Mata Peak. Note the high-performance hiking shoes (sandals).

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Blog Author

Frederick Thurber

I grew up in Providence, RI, and did a bit of retail jewelery and commercial fishing before going to college. I did two years at Bryant college and transferred to Brown University earning a Computer Science degree in 1983. After graduation I worked ... Read Full